Which is more dangerous skiing or snowboarding
Snowboarders and skiers are increasing in number every year. As the numbers increase so do the number of injuries. More awareness is being placed on snowboard safety and ski safety.
During the course of a year about 11 milion skiers and 4 million snowboarders in the U.S. alone are on the slopes at least once. The average number of visits to the slopes is around 60 million. For every 1000 skier visits, there are around 2.5 serious medical injuries. This comes out to one injury every 430 days of sking and snowboarding.
The death rate of snowboarders is 40 percent lower than alpine skiers, they are more likely to be hit by skiers gone out of control than the other way around.
When skiers fall they slide alot which causes them to be 3 to 4 times more likely to crash into something or someone. A snowboard on the other hand acts more like a seat anchor, preventing sliding. Death usually is caused from hitting something.
The most common injury faced by skiers is anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sprains. Those who were injured skied more years, but fewer days per year, were more likely to be female, are older, and fell less often.
Before you begin snowboarding or skiing be sure to take some lessons from a qualified instructor. Plus make certain you have the proper equpment. Ultimately you are responsible for your own safety. The safer you are the more fun you will have on the slopes.
About The Author:
For safe snowboard gear try K2 snowboards.
The Flags are Waving in Daytona Beach
Gentlemen, start your engines and ladies, grab your beach bag. It's NASCAR time in Daytona Beach, Florida. 2006 is already wooing a track full of die-hard race car drivers and fans are pulling up trackside to get a glimpse of the action. Make sure you're there in 2006 for non-stop excitement at every turn on the track!
The season begins with the forty-fourth Rolex 24 which kicks off the 2006 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series on the weekend of January 26-29. Considered one of the most prestigious endurance races, the entry list features 73 entries which will exceed the 2005 entry list by eleven cars. Benny Parsons will act as the Grand Marshall for this event.
On February 11, 2006, the Budweiser Shootout will start their 'run' followed by the Daytona 500 Pole Qualifying run. The Shootout represents the beginning of Speed Week at Daytona, ending with the Daytona 500. On February 18, the Hershey's Kissable kicks off the NASCAR Busch Series for 2006. In between are truck races and other events to keep every race fan in total bliss.
On February 19, Daytona Beach hosts the Daytona 500, one of the great American traditions in NASCAR racing. The race begins at 2 p.m. Eastern and runs for 500 laps on the world-famous track. Of course, all the big names will be entered in the race, including Jeff Gordon, Tony Steward and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. This year holds a special treat because Bill Elliot has come out of retirement to return for this race. Elliot left full-time racing in 2003, only running a few races in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Of course, Dale Jr. is a favorite in this race. His father, Dale Earnhardt, Sr. died in a freak accident during the Daytona 500 in the 2001 race.
Since its beginning in 1959, the Daytona 500 has been one of the most popular races ever held. The television ratings for this event indicate that it is one of the most-watched sports events, surpassing even the Super Bowl! As the first race of the Nextel Cup Series (in addition to being the first biggest race of the year), the fan's race to obtain tickets is phenomenal.
The Daytona 500 is a direct offshoot of a race once held on the sands of Daytona Beach. After the 1959 opening of the Daytona International Speedway, the race as we know it continues to grow.
That very first Daytona 500 was won by Lee Petty, father of Richard Petty. The win was most interesting because Johnny Beauchamp was initially announced as the winner after both Petty and Beauchamp lapped Joe Weatherly on the final lap. Three days later, after reviewing photographs and video of the finish, the call was overthrown and Petty was announced as the official winner of that first Daytona 500. His son, Richard, has won the Daytona 500 seven times during his career and holds the record for the most wins for this particular racing event.
The qualifying for the Daytona 500 is unique in that teams must race their way into the field instead of taking qualifying laps. The first row is set through one round of qualifying that usually occurs one week in advance of the actual race. The remainder of the field is established by qualifying races of 150 miles. During 2004 and before, the qualifying races were 125 miles.
After the Daytona 500, Wisk Presents the Daytona 500 After-Party which includes a dinner buffet, complimentary soft drinks, a cash bar, live entertainment and much, much more. You must purchase advance tickets to attend this party. ConAgra hosts the Monday morning Champion's Breakfast event which features car induction festivities, a buffet breakfast, and more. This event also requires advance purchase of a ticket. The Champion's Breakfast marks the official end of Speed Week at Daytona.
Access to the Daytona International Speedway is simple and easy from the north and south via Interstate-95 which lies within two miles of the race track. Interstate-4 provides access from the west while U.S. Highway 1 provides a scenic drive from the north and south.
While visiting Daytona Beach, you'll want to take a drive along the white sand beaches, one of the only remaining beaches in Florida that permit driving on the sand. These beautiful beaches extend for miles and provide a unique experience for anyone who has never had the joy of driving alongside the Atlantic Ocean. Just don't leave your car parked on the sand too close to the water at low tide. Every week, cars must be towed onto shore when the high tide floods them.
During Speed Week, accommodations can be hard to find unless you have made reservations well in advance. Many race fans book reservations and purchase their race tickets a full year in advance. The ocean-front hotels, of course, fill up first as do those closest to the Speedway. For those who desire very affordable housing for the week, nearby towns offer plenty of accommodations within one-half hour's drive from the track. Even Orlando with all its plush hotels is only forty-five minutes away on Interstate-4.
Camping is a popular solution to the accommodations problem during Speed Week. There are numerous campgrounds in the area within a few miles of the race track and the cost of renting a campsite for the week is very affordable. Because of Central Florida's mild weather, camping poses a viable solution. The nights may require a few blankets, however, but most of the daytime temperatures are quite comfortable. Many of the hard-core race enthusiasts bring campers, vans and motor homes, purchasing infield tickets and parking for the entire week. Every evening, cookouts in the infield bring the smells of steaks, hot dogs and hamburgers to the air. Those gathered in the infield party with others from all over the country both day and night, having a thoroughly great time while enjoying the races.
If you have never been to a Daytona 500 to hear those famous words, "Gentlemen, start your engines", you will never forget the experience. Not only will you enjoy the races, but the entire city of Daytona Beach will provide memories for years to come.
About the author:
This article was written by F.R. Penn sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/. Searching for those for those impossible to find NASCAR tickets? Look no further than StubHub where fans buy and sell the hottest tickets. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a link back to http://www.stubhub.com/
Score At Least 5 More Points Per Game By Coaching Football Kicking Properly
I bet you're frustrated that your team's football kicking skills are leaving at least five points on the field every game you coach. Think about it, how often have you been in a fourth and three situation on the opposition's fifteen yard line with no confidence in hitting the field goal?
You go for it instead of trying the kick and don't make it. Instead of a three point lead, your opponent takes over and drives down for a touchdown . If you could improve your team's kicking skills to the point of making just one field
goal and two extra points per game, what would those five points do for your football coaching record?
Let's discuss five simple tips for football kicking to help your kicker eliminate bad technique and have more success.
1) Instill in your football kicker the need to invest consistent practice time on developing his kicking skills. This may sound obvious, but too many youth football teams spend so little time working on their kicking game, it's no wonder they can't get the football through the uprights.
2) Here's another obvious one, but worth mentioning. Teach your kicker to kick with the side of the foot ("soccer style") as opposed to the "straight on" method. Your kicker will automatically become more accurate using this style of
kicking.
3) The plant foot is critical. Teach your kicker to place his plant foot alongside the ball, not behind it and not ahead of it. As contact is made with the ball, the bottom of the shoe should be about parallel to the field.
4) Pay close attention to the follow-through. Your kicker's head should stay down and remain focused on seeing his foot make contact with the bottom third of the football. Help your kicker avoid a common football kicking mistake by teaching him to keep his head down as long as possible on the follow-through. Make sure the follow-through is aimed straight toward the target.
5) Lastly, many young football kickers have a tendancy to alter their approach mechanics on longer field goal tries. Help them be aware of this and teach them to keep their approach consistent no matter the length of the attempted kick.
By applying these five simple tips to your team's football kicking skills, you can add at least five points to each game's total. Many football coaches seem willing to avoid working on the kicking aspect and leave these points on the field.
If you work on this aspect of your game and invest the time to study other finer points of successful football coaching, you'll quickly and easily begin to overtake those other coaches.
Matt and Dave run http://www.football-plays-and-drills.com/kick and have written the free coaching report, "5 Keys to Discovering the Successful Coach Inside You". Pick up your free copy along with one additional free report by sending a blank email to footballtips@aweber.com
We give full permission for you to use this kicking tip article in your newsletter or on your site as long as you include our Resource Box with our website link and email link included.
